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8/19/2012

OIFF Review: 'Marilyn'

Marilyn

(Canada, 104 min.)

Dir. Chris Petry, Writ. Patrick “Paddy” Mitchell

Starring: Ryan Robbins, Allison Mack.

The hook of Marilyn
is that Patrick “Paddy” Mitchell penned it during his term in Leavenworth
Prison. The Ottawa-born Mitchell, who was the former leader of the Stopwatch
Gang of bank robbers, landed on the FBI’s list of wanted criminals following a
string of burglaries that allegedly exceeded 100 banks. Mitchell wrote the
story of his arrest after being caught in 1994. He died of cancer in 2007 at
the age of 64 while serving his sentence in prison. His posthumous story – a
story of how far one man will go for love – appears in its final version as Marilyn, which screened at the Ottawa
International Film Festival on Friday.

As written from the perspective of its own subject, Marilyn certainly has a sense of
authenticity if one compares it to other true crime stories. Ryan Robbins plays
Mitchell in the film, and the Marilyn chronicles
his final heist before his capture by the authorities. Mitchell, going under
the alias of Michael in the film, is en route to California for another score.
He comes to the aid of a young girl, a blonde bombshell named Marilyn (Allison
Mack), at a truck stop. She’s on the run and needs his help. Michael and Marilyn
high tail it down the freeway as if they’re Thelma and Louise.

Marilyn is pure white trash. A fast-talking, foul-mouthed
hustler, Marilyn knows little else besides her good looks and her ability to
use them to get what she wants. Michael, despite his tattoos and scruffy
appearance, acts like a straight-laced man who must keep up appearances for his
wife and kids. Michael is forty and Marilyn says she’s twenty (but is probably
eighteen) and they seem like a mismatched pair. A friendship develops nevertheless
as each comes to the aid of the other during the getaway.

They finally arrive at a seedy motel in Los Angeles. Michael
lets Marilyn shack up with him for the time being since he could use an extra
body for cover. Unbeknownst to Marilyn, Michael is in town to rob some armoured
cars. He is also wanted for a string of bank robberies, which might explain why
he first hesitated to be seen with a woman who turns so many heads.

Marilyn almost
works as a love story and as a crime drama. It comes close thanks to the
strength of the performances by Robbins and especially Mack, but Marilyn is ultimately a one-note buddy
movie: it’s surprisingly boring for a film with so much sex appeal and risky
business. The film can hardly escape the predictability of its script, not to
mention the burden of clichés that appear throughout. Moreover, the film is
shot in a retro grindhouse style, but the effect doesn’t really work. Scratches
and dirt mark just look strange on digital.

The notoriety of its story and screenwriter are bound to
gain some attention, and Smallville
fans will appreciate this feature performance by Mack, but Marilyn hardly delivers anything beyond novelty. Marilyn, unfortunately, seems like the kind of movie that you catch
when you turn on the TV at 2 am might morning and watch from under droopy
eyelids as you fall asleep on the couch. That’s probably more comfortable than
falling asleep in the theatre.